Valve of internal-combustion engines.



H. FORD;

VALVE OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLIQATION FILED oer; 21. 1909. RENEWED FEB. 23,1912.

1,1775 1 2. I Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- H. FORD.

VALVE OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.2|.1909- RENEWED FEB. 23.19I2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HARRY FORD, 0F UTTOXETER, ENGLAND.

VALVE 0F INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Apr. a, 191$.-

Application filed October 21, 1909, Serial No. 523,785. Renewed February 23, 1912. Serial No. 679,495.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Form, of Brookside House, Uttoxeter, Stalfordshire, England, have invented Improvements in and Relating to the Valves of Internal-Conrbustion En ines, of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to improved means for effecting distribution of the working fluid in an internal combustion engine.

The object of my invention is to provide means for effecting the inlet and exhaust of the working charge which shall be completely silent, simple of construction, and efhcient in action.

Broadly, my improved means consists of a metal ring of suitable diameter, provided with teeth, fitted in or upon the wall of the combustion chamber in such a manner, that when caused to rotate, the port provided in the said ring registers with ports provided in the said wall at such a suitable time in the cycle as shall ell'ect proper distribution. I construct the said ring preferably of cylin drical form and of suilicient thickness not to be warped or distorted by unequal heating or expansion.

I provide an annular chamber or channel, a portion of which may be formed in the cylinder cover, and a portion in the top of .the cylinder casting, so that when the'cover is bolted in position, the upper part of the annular chamber exactly registers with the lower, and the said chamber surrounds the combustion chamber. Gr the said chamber may be wholly formed in either the cylinder casting or in the cover. Into this annular chamber, I fit the said ring, the said ring being as accurate and close a lit as possible consistent with its easy rotation or revolu tion within the said chamber. The axis of rotation of the said ring is preferably coin cident with the axis of the cylinder. The said annular chamber is water jacketed, said water jacket also immediately surrounding the combustion and expansion chambers. Packing rings preferably of the piston type may be provided to prevent leakage of the gases. These may be fitted in suitable po sitions in the ring itself, or in the chamber so as to bear upon the ring. Or in a fitted stationary ring provided to support the said packing. Ball or roller bearings may be provided to take the weight of the ring and reducefriction, or alternatively the ring of a suitable metal such as castiron, may bear on the cast iron surfaces of the annular chamber.

I provide gear or teeth in a suitable position on the outside of the ring, or on the top or bottom edge of the ring if it be cylindrical, and by means of the properly proportioned teeth, in a four stroke cycle engine the ring is driven at half the speed of the engine. Thus the ring is continuously rotated by means of mechanism drifen by the crank shaft. 1 may drive the said ring by ordinary skew gear from the crank shaft, the other end of the half speed side shaft being provided with a pinion, a portion of which projects inwardly in a suitable position and gears with the said teeth on the said ring. lhe ring may however, be rotated by any suitable means. I provide a port in the said ring which in a four stroke cycle engine is of such length, that it is adapted to register with a similar port in the cylinder wall. for inlet of the charge. for about one fourth of its rotation. There are two ports provided in the cylinder walls, the one for inlet, the other for exhaust, and in a four stroke cycle engine one port only in the ring. The single port may however be divided into a series of apertures or ports.

The inlet and exhaust ports in a four stroke cycle engine are close to each other with only about the width of the ring port between them. Thus when the piston makes its out or suction stroke, the ring port registers with the inlet port in the cylinder wall for one fourth of its rotation, the ports are closed during the compression and explosion strokes and just before the end of the working stroke, the ring port registers with the exhaust port, and it is kept open for one fourth or slightly more of the rotation of the ring. And in order that my invention may be completely understood reference should be made to the appendedsheets of drawings.

Figure 1 islasectional elevation ofithe" engine, on the'line Y -Z of Fig. 3, but with the ports shown of, fulldiameterasthough it were a section in-one plane for-.thesake of clearness. Fig. 2 is an elevation. Fig.

3 is a plan of the top of the cylinder with the cover removed. Fig. i is a'partrsection of a constructional modification. Figlfiisan elevation of the ring.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in each figure A is the cylinder, B the piston, C the cover, D the crankshaft, E is the ring, F is a horizontal side shaft parallel with the crank shaft, driven by the chain and sprocket wheels indicated in Fig. 2. The shaft drives the vertical side shaft G by means of the bevel gear wheels F G (Fig. 1) the former being indicated by dotted lines. On the top of the shaft G the pinion H is secured. The pinion H gears with the tooth formed in the upper peripheral edge of the ring E, as shown ,in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5. The ring E is driven by the pinion at half the speed of the crank shaft by means of the shaft G, bevel Wheels G F shaft F and the chainand sprocket before referred to. The wheel H is inclosed in an air tight casing H having air-tight joints to prevent leakage of oil or gases. 7

The ring E, (Fig. 5) is provided with the single port E The ring is fitted in the annular chamber E which is surrounded by the water jacket. In the cylinder cover is the inlet port I, shown inFig. 1.

J is the exhaust'port.

The ring E is rotated by the gear wheel H in the direction of the arrow Fig. 3, and the distance between the inlet port I and the exhaust port J being only slightly greater than the circumferential'length of the port E in the ring E, it follows that very shortly after the exhaust port is closed by the ring, the port E begins to open the inlet port I, as is required by the four stroke cycle. During the compression and explosion strokes, the port E is moving away from the port I in the direction of the arrow, until at the end of the working stroke, the port J commences to open again.

In Fig. l are shown removable two L shaped rings L M in each of which are fitted two packing rings. of the ordinary type. The two rings L lipped together at the joint in order to prevent leakage. At the top and bottom respectively of the ring E is a ring of balls fitting in a grooved ring or ball race provided in the rings L and M But neither the packing rings nor the ball race is essential to the invention.

As one modification or varied constructional form the arrangement Fig. 4 is shown in which the rings L M and the ball races are dispensed with, and the ring E fits the annular channel E with as little friction as possible, and packing rings are fitted as shown, on the outer cylindrical surface, of the ring E.

S S are sparking plugs and W is a carbureter.

It will be obvious that the shaft G may be rotated directly-by the crank shaft at the 'required speed in accordance with the relative number of teeth on the ring E and the pinion H, and this might be conveniently done either by bevel gear or skew gear or M are spigoted or in other known manner, it being of course essential that with the four stroke cycle the ring E shall make one revolution for every two revolutions of the crank shaft. If the valve ring E be employed for engines of the two stroke cycle then it must have the same number of revolutions as the crank shaft.-

I claim- 1. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, an annular valve casing externally of the cylinder and in communication therewith through separate admission and exhaust ports and passages, an annular valve in the valve casing for controlling the communication between the valve chamber and'the cylinder, said valve having teeth thereon, a pinion engaging the teeth, and means for rotating the pinion.

a valve and controlling the inlet and exhaust ports of the engine, said engine being formed with an annular valve casing in which 'said sleeve is contained and also having inlet and exhaust passages opening through the outer wall of said casing and also controlled by said sleeve, and a gear operating in an opening in said casing and rotating said sleeve in time with the movements of the engine piston.

4. In combination, an internal combustion engine having lateral inlet and exhaust ports, with a ported sleeve acting as a valve and controlling the inlet and exhaust ports of the engine, said engine being formed with an annular valve casing intersected by the engine ports and in which said sleeve is contained and lubricated, packing means I preventing the flow of lubricant from said casing into said engine ports, and means operating in an opening in the side of said casing and rotating said sleeve in time with the movements of the engine piston.

5. In combination, an internal combustion engine having separate lateral inlet and exhaust ports, with a ported sleeve acting as a valve and controlling the inlet and exhaust ports of the engine, said engine being formed with an annular valve casing intersected by said ports and in which'said sleeve is contained and lubricated, the outer wall of said casing containing correspond ing separate inlet and exhaust passages also controlled by said valve, a gear on said sleeve within sei gear mes ng ther sleeve is re A ed in of the en eisten.

6. in nhimtien, 5m. tion engim i g; sepsi we iste exhaust parts, w s parted i as e vaive anti centreiiing the 11 heust ports 01*: the esz ne e if} formeti with en 211111 1 seeted by said parts in is contained and lubricated, the wsiis at said casing containing eorresgemiing iniet and exhaust passages also controlled by said sleeve, packing means making ti ht the compressionspace the engine cylinder;- a'iid preventing the flow of lubricant from said easing into said ports, a gear 011 said sleeve and within said cs d a driv ing' geguimeshing therew whereby said sieeve is i'etzited is time w ments of the engine pistes.

a. In an internal cembu ti,

i vvnerehy 521G s v in 1.220 veieems erabie therein, removae'ie head ei outer end of the cyh ider forming C annuiai valve chamber surrounemg the eylindex, separate admission and ex; met parts cennecting the chamber and cylinder, :1 ring valve in the chamber controlling said ports end means operetiveiy connecting the valvev the piston,

8. in .2111 internal combustion engine a cylinder and piston in combination with 5 cylinder head. ceneentric with thecylinder and,

head and cylinder walls being provided. with coperatlng admission and exhaust passages entering said chamber between its ends, an annular rotatable valve msald chamber having a port arranged ween its. ends adapted to register with s' d pas sages fer controlling the admission :1 d exhaust of gases to and from the cylind r and a valve actuator roperable by the. piston adapted to constantly rotate the valve in one direction to control the opening and closing pf the passages in proper time with 50 L the movements of the piston.

HARRY FORD. Witnesses:

H. D. JAMISON, JAs. D. R0025. 

